1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a waste container, and, more specifically, to a waste container having a reinforced bottom.
2. Related Art
Current residential waste containers comprise a container body having an open top and a closed bottom. A handle is typically located near the open top and a wheel assembly is typically located near the bottom of the container body. The top is closed by one or more lids, which are hingedly connected to the body or a divider in the body. Most residential waste containers have a relatively large capacity of 30 gallons or more. It is also common for the waste container to be injection-molded out of a suitable plastic.
A common problem for this type of waste container is that the weight of the contents held by the container body can bow the waste container bottom downwardly a sufficient amount so that it contacts the ground, resulting in increased wear and tear on the container body bottom as the waste container is moved about during its lifetime. Ultimately, the excess wear and tear on the container body bottom results in a premature failure of the container. Although this problem can be reduced by increasing the thickness of the bottom wall, this solution increases the cost of the container due to increased material costs and increased cycle time and may also result in undesirable stresses in the container body due to differential cooling during the molding process.
An additional problem arises from the current container bodies having a relatively narrow draft in order to obtain the greatest amount of volume in the smallest plan form. The narrow draft often makes it difficult to remove the container body from the injection mold because of the tendency for a vacuum to form between the container bottom and the mold. To aid in the removal of the container body, air is injected between the mold and the container bottom. The injected air has a tendency to extend the container bottom upwardly into the container body cavity. Since the container body is still relatively warm during removal, the force of the injected air can cause a permanent stretching or arching of the bottom, which exacerbates the tendency of the bottom to contact the ground when the container body is loaded with waste and the bottom inverts from the load.